Nut lock



Dec. 3, 1929. J. A. PRUSSEN 1,738,482

NUT LOCK Filed May 5, 1928 IN VEN TOR.

W ATTORNEY.

Patented Bee. 3, 1929 n'rnr JOHN A. PRUSSEN, OF DENVER, COLORADO NUTApplication filed May 5,

1c the nut lock.

A further object is to provide an interchangeable double ended nut lockwhich will require no special care or attention in its application sinceeither end of the nut lock when contacting with the nut will lock samein place.

A further object is to provide an interchangeable double ended nut lockwhich will have one look in operation and one lock in reserve and readyfor use upon the breakage or disablement of the one in operation.

A further object is to provide such a d ouble ended nut lock in whichthelock in reserve provides an anchor effect to increase theeffectiveness of the lock contacting with the nut.

A further object is to provide in a nut lock having both ends providedwith a lock, a locking action having both an axial and a radial jammingeffect.

A further object is to provide a nut lock which at least in the smallersizes may be released by the thumb and two fingers of one hand.

A further object is to provide a-nut ock which may be made of a singlepiece of wire formed and adapted to screw upon the threads of a screw orbolt and against the outer face of a nut threaded thereon, and providedwith a lock adapted to contact against said nut and also provided with asecond lock at the opposite end of the formed piece of wire, the twolocks adapted to bottom in the thread of the screw or bolt and assist inguiding the nut look as it is being screwed thereon.

The details of construction whereby the above objects are attained aredescribed below and illustrated in the drawings, in which? Figure 1 isside elevation a fruit thread- LOCK 1928. Serial No. 275,375.

ed upon the threads of a screw or bolt and with my nut lock mountedthereon in engagement with the outer face of the nut.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but

with the nut lock spaced from the outer face i of the nut.

Figure 3 is an end view of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an end view of my nut lock, the release position of theU-shaped handles and the two fingers and the thumb used in forcing thenut lock to the released position all being indicated by dotted lines.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of my nut lock.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary elevation of my nut lock showing a fragmentarysection of the bolt upon which it is mounted.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary elevation of Figure 6, looking in thedirection of the ar row.

material, though for most purposes I believe tempered spring steel wirewill be best.

The wire is wrapped to fit closely in the threads of the screw or boltfor which it is made, for substantially one and three quarters turns,forming what I call the thread portion 1, of my nut lock.

At each end of the thread portion 1, the wire is first bent outward in aradial direction, forming what I call an outward radial portion 2, andis then bent again but in an axial direction, and is then bent again butin an inward radial direction, forming what I call an inward radialportion 3, the outward and the inward radial portions combining to formwhat I call a U-shaped handle whose plane is roughly axial in extent.

The end of the inward radial portion forming the free leg of theU-shaped handle is adapted when not in place on a screw or bolt, toextend slightly inward from the inner circular face of the threadedportion 1, as

7 shown slightly exaggerated, at l of Figure 6.

Thus when the nut lock is put in place on a screw or bolt, the free legof each U-shaped -1 handle contacts firmly in the root of the thread onthe opposite face of the nut lock from its end of the threaded portion1, as shown in Figure 7.

as free leg: of either U elraped handle My nut lock is to be made of anyproper which is adjacent the nut acts to contact with '5, which is boltithe nut.

, For this purpose it is formed into a wedge shown best in Figures 6 and7. As the nut contacts with the adjacent face of this wedge 5, the point6 of the wedge tends to slightly enter the threads-of thenut, forming apositive contact "therewith.-

Further movement of the nut results in thefollowing compoundjammingaction;

The axial component of the movement of. 1 the nut tends to jam the side7 of the wedge 5 (see Figure 7) against the adjacent side of the threadof the serewor boltu-pon which the nut is mounted. A

v slight exaggeration ofthisefi'ctwill be seen by a comparison of cause'bac'kward movement of the. adjacent wedge'5 along theth'readswill'result in a springing ofthe U-shaped handle whereby the inwardradial portion 3 acts'as if pivoted about'a pointas at 8, and theface ofthe wedge} 5' contacting 1 against the bottom of" the thread/ofthe'screwor bolt will be amme'd into the bottom of the thread as .it tends-tofollow -soine'sucl1 curve as indicated at 9;

This jamming action vtends-to-make the threadof the nut ridestillfurtherupon the point (S ot the wedge 5", tendi'ngto' still tion ofthe nut'upon'the point 6."

, further increase theldirecti'radial wedge ac- 45 Thus my lock providesth'eaxial wedgi'ng action, the wrapping or snubb'ing' action, and

theswinging jam; action about the pointl8, all combining toscausethecpoint 6 ofthe Y wedge 5- t'o-enterumorefirmlyinto the nut along itsthread. toforce: the. face. 7 of the wedge 5.-against the side of.thethrea-d of the f bolt 1,01%: screw and. to i j am the portion 41 ofthe wedge -5- into-the bottom of the thread of the bolt or screw: andft-hus prevent further movement of the nutx Since'botlithe-U-sh'apedih'andles are alike,

and each is provided Zwitli a wedge 5, my nut lock" is double ended andwill "operatewith of it is thesameresults no matter which :end placednext to the nut. I v a V p In releasing m nut lock the two handles areforced apart, which tendstoi-unwrap the thread portion and permit thenut loeltto portion.l. tightlyupon the screw orbe unscrewed from thescrew or bolt upon which it is mounted.

This. is illustrated by the dotted lines of Figure 4, indicating the twofingers upon the two handles, and the thumb under the thread portion 1,opposite the fingers.

When the nut lock is put in place the same spreading action of thehandles may be used especially in starting the nut lock upon the thread.Generally however, pressing or tapping the leading handle will besuflieient tocscrew the nut lock upon the thread after it is oncestarted.

Insome ofthe larger sizes where the wire used is too stiff for manualrelease of the nut lock, the thread portion lmay be made of nearly twocomplete turns so that the U-' shapedhandles will be close together and:1V screw driveror other instrument may then be used between them as aprytounwrap the thread portion 1 slightly and thereby loosen its graspupon the screw'or bolt.

But, this is a variation thatcomes within= the field of themanufacturer, and will be well understood by anyone versed in suchmatters. In fact a proper instrument could be used to spread the handlesin the constructions illustrated, and so this slight variation is notshown in the drawings.

It will now be seen that all the objects sought are attained by mythough I-am aware ofother slight variations which might be made in theconstruction, I

consider them to be-*practically mechanical equivalents, so I-do notwish to limit my protection to the exact constructions shown anddescribed, but what I claim as new, and desire toprotectby Iietters-Patent is as follows z- 1. Iiranutlocl: adapted to screw upon a thread"and comprising a single length of wire, a thread portion ofsubstantially constant radius, the two ends of: which are formed intooutwardly extendingsubstantiallyU-shaped handles extending axially inopposite directions each'to the remote side of'the thread portion andforming a leading and a-lagging handle, thefreeleg of each Usliaped'handle' being at'a slight angle from the radial of the threadportion an d forming ath'read fitting; wedge of normally smaller 1'1.

radius than the -th read portion whereby the wedge projects within thecircle of the thread portion and whereby back pressure against theleadingvwedge will tend to swing it downward againstthe threads abouta'point in its .I

handle as a center andto tightenthe thread portion, and.thetighteningof' the thread portion. will swing the lagging wedge down against thethread about a point in its handle as a center.

2. In .a nut lock adapted to screw upon a thread and comprising a singlelength of wire, a-thread portion ofmore than one turn and of. less thantwo turns of substantially constant radius, the two ends of'which areinvention, and

formed into outwardly extending substantially U-shaped handles extendingaxially in opposite directions each to the remote side of the threadportion and forming a leading and a lagging handle each at a slightangle to the radial, the tree leg of each U-shaped handle forming athread fitting wedge of normally smaller radius than the thread portionwhereby the wedge projects within the circle of the thread portion, thelagging wedge adapted to act as an anchor for the thread portion andbackward pressure against the leading wedge tending to tighten thethread portion upon the thread and to swing each wedge down against thethread about a point in its handle as a center.

3. In a nut lock comprising a single length of wire, a thread portion,the two ends of which are formed into outwardly extending substantiallyU-shaped handles extending axially in opposite directions each to theremote side of the thread portion, the free leg of each U-shaped handlebeing at a slight angle from the radial of the thread portion, forming athread fitting wedge normally extending inward radially from the innerdiameter of said thread portion.

4. In a nut lock comprising a single length of wire, a thread portion ofsubstantially constantradius, the two ends of which are formed intooutwardly extending substantially U-shaped handles extending axially inopposite directions each to the remote side of the thread portion, thefree leg of each U- shaped handle forming a thread fitting wedge ofnormally smaller radius than the thread portion whereby the wedgeprojects within the circle of the thread portion, the portion of eachhandle from its outermost point to the wedge being at a slight anglefrom the radial of the thread portion whereby swinging of the :tree legout the handle toward the radial about said point will. tend to furtherdecrease the radius of the wedge and increase its pressure in thethread.

5. In a nut lock adapted to screw upon a thread and comprising a singlelength of Wire, a thread portion of more than one turn and less than twoturns of substantially constant radius, the two ends of which are formedinto outwardly extending substantially U-shaped handles, whose free legsare slightly removed from the radial of the thread portion, andextending axially in opposite directions each to the remote side of thethread portion and forming a leading and a lagging handle, the treeextremity of each U-shaped handle forming a thread fitting wedge ofnormally smaller radius and tighter lit than the thread portion, wherebythe wedge projects within the circle of the thread portion, the laggingwedge adapted to act as an anchor for the thread portion and to increasethe grip of said anchor by circular turning action about a point JOHN A.PRUSSEN.

